Penn Statetag:www.gopsusports.com,2009-07-20:/blog//242015-03-31T18:46:19ZMovable Type 5.2A Change of Season: Transitioning Outdoorstag:www.gopsusports.com,2015:/blog//24.773122015-03-31T18:41:25Z2015-03-31T18:46:19Z By Astrid Diaz, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With the indoor season in the books, Penn State track and field has revved up new energy and is ready to begin the 2015 outdoor campaign. Contrary to...Chelsea Walstromhttp://www.gopsusports.com/

By Astrid Diaz, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With the indoor season in the books, Penn State
track and field has revved up new energy and is ready to begin the 2015 outdoor
campaign.

Contrary to most people's opinion, the outdoor and indoor seasons are
two different animals and each one requires a renewed sense of motivation,
training, and skill.

The outdoor season lasts longer and introduces new events both on the
field and on the track such as the javelin throw, hammer throw, and discus.

It also comes along with a new set of challenges such as the weather, in-meet
ambiance, and traveling.

The new season, which lasts from mid-March to mid-June, will take the
team to the warm and sunny outdoors of Florida, Louisiana, California, and
Georgia, to name a few.

Logistics

"Indoor is sort of a meets to an
end. Without the indoor season we would just be training for months without any
meets and that would be draining," said assistant coach Randy Bungard. "We
train mostly to do well outdoor. Indoor is important to us but we train to peak
and run our fastest outdoor."

The sprints and middle-distance runners see the most difference in the
transition from inside to outside with addition of 4x100-meter relay, 10,000-meter run, 400-meter hurdle
race, and the 3,000-meter steeplechase events.

"The 4x100 [relay], everybody
loves that event. It's so fun," said Bungard. "Sprint medleys, the Penn Relays...those
are fun. That's where you bring in the team aspect of it. Penn Relays is one of
our favorite meets of the year. There's a lot more variety outdoor with relays,
traveling. It's just better."

Outdoors also brings a much bigger track, usually double in size, 200
meters to 400 meters in circumference. It doesn't bank outdoors as it does
indoor and it has longer straight edges with fewer turns, which sometimes works
to the advantage of the athlete.

"The big difference is that if
we're going to run a 200 [meter race] outside, you just have one huge turn and
a straight away. Turns slow you down a little bit. [Indoor] if you're going to
run a 200 you have to run with two slow curves. Naturally, by the facility,
times will be faster outdoor," said Bungard.

Saying Strong

Staying stable and motivated can
be difficult for student-athletes since the there is such a seamless transition
between seasons that doesn't allow for much rest.

"They way I keep the kids from
burning out is to keep some tempo in their work outs. From the beginning of the
season to the end in June or July, there are days that we will [train at] 75%
tempo. That is how you keep them from burning out. It holds off the peaking.
And a big thing is having a couple rest days in there. [It's] is important,"
said Bungard.

Remaining Motivated

With proper training, student-athletes
trust that they will remain in tip-top shape, which gives more room to simply
enjoy what they do.

"[The athletes] get more excited
and motivated. They get to travel and to warm weather places," said Bungard.
"You have the weather and sometimes some tail wind...you have to deal with the
elements outdoor which you don't [indoors]. The kids and coaches just like
outdoor better. You're in the sun. You're outside. It's just a better
atmosphere."

The indoor season brings a more intense
environment with the enclosed facility and small space for fans,
student-athletes, and coaches to be closer amongst each other.

However, the opposite can also be
the beauty of the outdoor season - the independence of the student-athletes
allows them to be focused and unstoppable.

"I like the indoor meets because
the track is right here and the [fans] are right here... it's like a three ring
circus. During outdoor, javelin is here and the discus is over there... the track
is huge you don't have that intensity. But on the flip side I like that about outdoors.
We train to be independent," said Bungard.

The team is set to begin its outdoor season on Friday, April 3rd when
they travel to Gainesville, Florida and Palo Alto, California for the Florida
Relays and Stanfo]]>
VIDEO: Spring Practice Sights and Sounds - Tight Endstag:www.gopsusports.com,2015:/blog//24.773112015-03-31T18:22:40Z2015-03-31T18:25:27Z UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With six practices complete, the Nittany Lions are in the heart of spring practice for 2015. Penn State completed its sixth session of the spring on Monday afternoon inside Holuba Hall. Teams are allowed to...Tony Mancuso, Athletic CommunicationsUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.
- With six practices complete, the Nittany Lions are in the heart of spring
practice for 2015. Penn State completed its sixth session of the spring on Monday
afternoon inside Holuba Hall. Teams are allowed to practice 15 times during the
spring period. Penn State will have eight more practices between Wednesday and
April 17 before spring drills culminate with the Blue-White Game Presented by
AAA on April 18 in Beaver Stadium (4 p.m.).

During the next two weeks, we will take you inside practice with sights and sounds
from spring ball. Today, offensive coordinator and tight ends coach John
Donovan gives the fans a taste of a day working with the Nittany Lion tight
ends..

Penn State will practice in full pads on Wednesday afternoon and again on
Saturday morning.

]]>
Lions Complete Strong Week With Weekend Sweeptag:www.gopsusports.com,2015:/blog//24.772922015-03-30T18:30:10Z2015-03-31T19:09:06Z By Mike Esse, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff WriterUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Rob Cooper knows his team's season won't be defined by one game, one series or one week. But, he also knows that his team's season can be moved in...Tony Mancuso, Athletic Communications

By Mike Esse,GoPSUsports.com Student Staff
WriterUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Rob Cooper
knows his team's season won't be defined by one game, one series or one week.
But, he also knows that his team's season can be moved in the right direction
after one game, one series or one week.

Penn State
had a weekend just like that as they swept Central Connecticut State, marking
the program's first home series sweep since May of 2012 against Illinois.

"I'm just
really proud of our guys this weekend," Cooper said. "It was something we
challenged them with was that since I've been here we haven't had a true sweep.
Our guys really wanted to go and get that and we did a heck of a job."

The Nittany
Lions outscored the Blue Devils 22-6 on the weekend and received three
promising starts from starting pitchers Nick Hedge, Taylor Lehman and Nick
Distasio. Two of those players, Lehman and Distasio are a part of a cluster of
freshman that have contributed all season, including in big ways this weekend.

Lehman gave
up one hit in seven innings in game one of the Sunday double header striking
out eight and walking just two. Biasi came in relief for the final two innings
allowing just one hit and striking out three. Distasio followed their
performance allowing four hits in six innings while striking out five. Both
starters received their first career wins, as well.

"One thing
that's been cool, whether it's been both of those guys or Nick Graham, Marko
Boricich or Sal Biasi, you have some true freshman that are making an impact
and doing some neat things," Cooper said. "Mixing them in with the veterans is
a neat deal."

Penn
State's veterans certainly matched the performance of its younger players over
the weekend, especially offensively. Seniors Ryky Smith and Aaron Novak
combined for 14 hits and seven RBI on the weekend leading Penn State's
offensive attack, much to the liking of their starting pitchers.

"It was a
great feeling having these guys behind me getting a lot of runs on the board
because it's a lot easier to pitch when you are up that big," Distasio said.

Novak, now
hitting .390 on the season with four doubles, three home runs and 18 RBI, is
perhaps a microcosm of this Nittany Lion team. He's a player that saw regular
playing time in his first two seasons at Penn State, then was mainly a
defensive replacement his junior season and wasn't a starter to begin his
senior season. But, those roadblocks didn't stop him from beginning 2015 with a
monster campaign.

"It's
awesome," Cooper said of Novak's hitting. "That's self-made because at the
beginning of the year he wasn't in the starting lineup and we told him what we
needed to do to get in there.

A guy can
make one of two choices and say 'this is coach's fault that I'm not playing' or
he can say 'this is what I need to do to get in the lineup every day' and he
did. His approaches and his swings and the way he's slowing the game down
offensively is pretty fun to watch."

Novak
currently is top-five in the Big Ten in batting average, slugging percentage
and on-base percentage through 22 games.

Just like
Novak, Penn State as a whole has recently taken a rather undesirable start to
the season and begun to turn it back in the right direction. Now winners of
seven of their last eight, wins are coming more consistently, but Cooper
stressed that they still have a lot of work to do.

"There are
so many things that we need to clean up still," he said. "We're not perfect,
we've just been winning some games."

With that
said though, Cooper won't deny that there has been a difference in the way his
team has been playing over the past few weeks.

"It's been
making that choice to play hard and compete every day," Cooper said. "I want to
stress how hard we are playing and our competitive spirit. Our play has been
something really fun to be around."

Penn State
will be back at Meldar Field at Lubrano Park for two home games this week
against Binghamton and Kent State with both games set for a 6:30 first pitch on
Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

]]>
Coffey and the Lions Defeat Rutgers in First Big Ten Gametag:www.gopsusports.com,2015:/blog//24.772912015-03-30T17:42:08Z2015-03-30T17:45:57Z By Julie Bacanskas, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - When the Penn State women's lacrosse team traveled to Rutgers this weekend, it did so for a historic matchup. The Nittany Lions played in their first-ever Big Ten...Tony Mancuso, Athletic CommunicationsBy Julie Bacanskas, GoPSUsports.com
Student Staff WriterUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - When the Penn State women's lacrosse team
traveled to Rutgers this weekend, it did so for a historic matchup. The Nittany
Lions played in their first-ever Big Ten game, downing the Scarlet Knights,
15-8.

The Nittany Lions dominated in a number of categories, including the draw. In
the first half alone, Penn State (8-3, 1-0 B1G) controlled 12, allowing Rutgers
(1-10, 0-1 B1G) only three possessions. That trend continued throughout the
game, as the Blue and White won the draw 19 times of the 25 attempts.

"The draw is huge," said senior midfielder Tatum Coffey. "If you look at
statistics, draw controls will be very similar in relation to the score. So,
the draw is always big. It's kind of like an unspoken thing that if you get the
draw, you win the game. We did a great job against Rutgers at that."

Coffey, who hails from New Jersey, had a game-high five points with three goals
and two assists. Playing in her home state on Saturday allowed her family and
friends to attend the game.

With added support for not only herself but also the entire Penn State team,
the Nittany Lions' excitement grew. The Blue and White were fired up and ready
to play. They knew coming out with a victory was the only option. Penn State
would win this historic Big Ten matchup.

"At halftime, I hear my best friend yelling Tatum," Coffey said. "I recognized
her voice, and I looked up and saw her with my whole family, my cousins, my
mom, my dad and my Nona, who can barely make it to games. So, I saw everyone,
and it made me so happy. I don't think them being there gives me an edge. It's
more that it puts me in an even better mood than I was already. The fact that
they can all stop what they're doing and come support me is the best feeling
ever."

In addition to Coffey's three tallies, Maggie McCormick and Katie O'Donnell
also secured hat tricks for the Blue and White. Steph Lazo added two goals of
her own, while Madison Cyr, Kelly Lechner, Maggie Gallagher and Kristin Brent
all scored one a piece.

The team took 33 overall shots to Rutgers' 23 and were six-for-seven from the
free position. As usual, this dominant offense did its best to make every shot
count.

Nevertheless, more important than a productive offense, the Nittany Lions came
in with confidence, which was a defining factor of the game.

"We were just all on the same page, starting off on the same note, on a good
note," said Coffey. "We want to show who we are and prove who we are in the Big
Ten conference. I think we all have that mindset that we want to prove that we
are a top team and that we can succeed in the Big Ten."

With such a high competition level in the conference, beginning this stretch
with a win is exactly what Penn State needed. The team knows it can compete
with the best, and it is ready to see what teams like Maryland, Northwestern
and Ohio State have to bring.

"I think it was extremely important for us to start off right because you just
want to go out strong and end strong," the senior said. "We knew we had
confidence coming into that first conference game. So, I think that's what is
great about us in our conference. We have a lot of confidence this year, and
we're ready to bring it home."

The remainder of the season will not be easy for Penn State by any means, but
it will be competitive, entertaining lacrosse. This is Big Ten.]]>
Lions Reflect on Historic Seasontag:www.gopsusports.com,2015:/blog//24.772862015-03-30T14:30:49Z2015-03-30T15:45:43Z By Tyler Feldman, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following a 2013-14 campaign that resulted in just four wins, it was hard to gauge what was in store for the 2014-15 Nittany Lions. However, after notching a...Chelsea Walstromhttp://www.gopsusports.com/

By Tyler Feldman, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
Following a 2013-14 campaign that resulted in just four wins, it was hard to
gauge what was in store for the 2014-15 Nittany Lions. However, after notching
a program-best 17 wins this season, Penn State already has its eyes set on next
year.

"I'm so proud of the
2014-15 team for their hard work, their dedication and everything that they
accomplished this season," head coach Josh Brandwene said. "So many big wins.
So many great moments for this program. 10-5-4 in games decided by a goal or
less says everything about this group in terms of what they've become. They're
winners, and that is just something that we are going to build on going
forward."

For the first time as
a Division-I program, the Nittany Lions finished with a winning record and third
place finish, its highest CHA conference regular season finish ever. Four times
as many wins as last season, Penn State was the most improved NCAA team. Furthermore,
the Blue and White earned its highest CHA Tournament seed at No. 4 and scored
its most power play goals in a season with 23 and shorthanded goals with three.

Such success banked on
playing in a family-like atmosphere day-in and day-out.

"Well I think one of the biggest things at the beginning was creating a
new culture and new environment," forward Shannon Yoxheimer said. "We really
achieved that and instilled that into everyone's minds. Everyone really, really
enjoyed being in the environment that was created. It was very genuine and a
very close-knit environment. That's one of the biggest accomplishments outside
of our actual hockey performance that we had as a team."

When looking back on the historic season it is difficult to choose one
game or play that was the most memorable. According to Yoxheimer, the home
sweep against then No. 6 Mercyhust is hard to top, andfor Brandwene, there are
so many exciting performances to reflect upon.

"I think you can look back at the season and really reflect on a number
of those incremental big stepping stone moments," Brandwene said. "One goal win
against St. Cloud in our first weekend as a young team was big. Coming back to
beat RIT in overtime in their building was big as an incremental moment. And
certainly you can look at the sweep of then No. 6 Mercyhurst here at Pegula as
a big moment for this team. Then there is the playoff series. To win a 1-0 game
for our first playoff victory says so much about their poise, and their
patience, and their willingness to stick to the game plan. And then to close
out the series in another close, hard fought game was another big moment for
this program."

One of the most important and dynamic aspects of this past season's
squad was the quick emergence of the freshmen. Forward Caitlin Reilly closed
the season with six goals and ten assists, while Bella Sutton tallied seven
scores and eight assists on defense. Sutton stood out so much on the blue line
that she was named to the CHA All-Rookie Team.

"I'm so proud of the entire freshman class," Brandwene said. "We asked
so much of them this season, and they are just such a hard working group. We
asked so much of [Bella Sutton] this year, and for her to perform to the level
that she consistently did all year long, such a well-deserved honor to be on
the CHA All-Rookie Team."

Upcoming senior playmaker Yoxheimer echoed the words of her head coach.

"I was definitely really impressed [with the freshmen] because it's a
really hard transition coming into college hockey," Yoxheimer said. "It's a lot
different. There's more systems, more things to get down, and all of us were
already very familiar with those, so I was really impressed that they were able
to just come in right away. They were contributing. They had the systems down.
I think we are all really proud of them, and it says a lot about who they are."

With eight freshman, four sophomores, 13 juniors, and zero seniors on
the team this past season, the Nittany Lions are in a perfect position to
standout next year.

"Perfect storm coming together for us next season with a tremendous
junior class that will be seniors for us next year," Brandwene said. "An
unbelievable senior class. Laura Bowman and her entire class will be juniors
next year. It's so important to speak about their contributions. Laura making
all-conference, Amy [Petersen] had a great season at both ends of the ice - on
the power play, on the penalty kill - Kelly Seward great year at both ends of
the ice - power play, penalty kill - and Sarah Nielsen, what a job she does in
her role, as does her whole line. So you have that. You have our freshman class
who will be sophomores next year, and a great recruiting class coming in.
Perfect storm. Can't wait to get started."

Bowman, who was named to the All-CHA Second Team, led Penn State with a program-best
31 points (16 goals, 14 assists). She now holds the single season record for
points, goals and shorthanded goals (two). Her line mate Amy Petersen netted 11
goals and accumulated 15 assists. Yoxheimer, who wore the "C" on her sweater,
mustered 12 goals and eight assists.

One of the most integral parts of this team, however, was between the
pipes. The Blue and White had one of the best one-two goalie punches in the
country. Junior Celine Whitlinger finished with a 13-11-1 record, 2.17 GAA and
a .933 save percentage, while freshman Hannah Ehresmann posted a 4-5-3 record
to go along with a 2.35 GAA and a .927 save percentage. Ehresmann's play was so
exceptional that she was selected to the CHA All-Rookie team along with Sutton.

"Tremendous seasons for both Celine Whitlinger and Hannah Ehresmann,"
Brandwene said. "Just fabulous jobs in net. And then the togetherness that all
three of our goaltenders have. We refer to them as the sisterhood. That just
speaks volumes about the atmosphere, and it says a lot about Celine as a leader
that we have such togetherness with that group."

The Nittany Lions earned the CHA's Team Sportsmanship Award, handed out
to the team that totals the fewest amount of penalty minutes during conference
play. Penn State's disciplined play led to a conference-best 7.2 penalty
minutes per contest.

Brandwene is right. With all the experience returning to the program,
the Nittany Lions have a perfect storm brewing for next year.

"We're going to be a really, really tough group to play next year,"
Yoxheimer said. "Right now the goal is to get stronger, focus on competing
every day during the offseason, but having in mind that first game of next year
when we're training."

]]>
Lions Come Close in Big Ten Opener, Fall to Buckeyestag:www.gopsusports.com,2015:/blog//24.772832015-03-30T13:55:52Z2015-03-30T14:08:46Z By Maria Canales, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team kicked off its Big Ten conference schedule by welcoming Ohio State to Happy Valley on Sunday. Despite a late rally, the Nittany...Tony Mancuso, Athletic Communications

By Maria Canales, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff WriterUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team kicked off its
Big Ten conference schedule by welcoming Ohio State to Happy Valley on Sunday.
Despite a late rally, the Nittany Lions fell to the Buckeyes, 10-8.

Penn State got off to a quick start with senior Michael Richards scoring
the first goal of the game, bringing the home crowd to its feet.

"Luckily [James] Burke passed me the ball and I just happened to be in
the right place and luckily it went in," said Richards.

Although the Nittany Lions struck first, it was the Buckeyes who would
return with five unanswered goals in the first half.

During the fourth quarter momentum shifted in favor of the Lions.
Rallying from six gols down, sophomore Nick Aponte kick started a scoring spree
for the Nittany Lions. Followed by goals from Brian Prestreau, Dan Craig and
Matt Florence, the Lions came within two goals of tying the game.

"[The momentum] was nice, it's just we can't have that that late in the
fourth quarter you have to have it earlier in the game," said Richards.

Richards also credited the change in momentum to several players that
stood out in Sunday's game.

"I think that once we started winning faceoffs with Drake Kreinz, and
James Burke played his heart out picking up ground balls, I think they did an
insane job," said Richards. "I think those guys really made the difference
coming out and then our offense did their job, when we actually gave them the
ball, they did their job."

Penn State powered through its slow start and proved their skills and
endurance can keep pace with the tough opponents they've faced.

"I think we realized that we can absolutely hang especially with all the
close games we've had," said Richards. "We just have to realize that you need
to put in a full 60 minutes, you can't just play in spurts. We know exactly
what we can do and we have the power to do it we just have to put a game
together."

Head coach Jeff Tambroni was satisfied with his teams overall
performance against their long-time foe, but knows there is always room for
improvement.

"Our kids came to win today and we were hoping not to play in the first
Big Ten conference game here at Penn State, we were hoping to win," said
Tambroni. "So I think that's going to probably put a cloud over, unfortunately,
the kind of day that it maybe could have been at Penn State. But the other side
of it is I thought our guys competed and I said that to them in the huddle, one
thing I learned about them is that they gave an effort until the end."

With the first Big Ten game under their belts, the Nittany Lions look to
learn and build off their experiences from Sunday's game. As soon as one game
ends, the focus then turns to the team's next game; this week will be focused
on Maryland. The team works one game at a time, a theme set early on in the
season in attempts to focus all energy on one opponent.

"We have a short week of preparation against a really good Maryland
team, so it's just going to be on us as a staff and as a team to get excited
about a really good opportunity and opponent," said head coach Jeff Tambroni.
"You know to win a game like that could change a lot, so from this moment on
we'll go into the locker room, we'll start talking about that."

The Nittany Lions will spend this week gaining momentum for their road
trip to Maryland on Saturday.

]]>
Seven Gymnasts Compete in Big Ten Individual Event Finalstag:www.gopsusports.com,2015:/blog//24.772822015-03-30T13:38:32Z2015-03-30T13:44:11Z By Anita Nham, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Less than 24-hours after Penn State claimed the Big Ten conference title in a hard-fought battle, the men's gymnastics team headed back to Rec Hall for the individual...Chelsea Walstromhttp://www.gopsusports.com/

By Anita Nham, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff WriterUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Less than 24-hours after Penn State claimed the Big
Ten conference title in a hard-fought battle, the men's gymnastics team headed
back to Rec Hall for the individual event finals on the final day of the Big
Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships.

Seven gymnasts from Penn State competed in 10 routines Saturday evening.
Take a look at the amazing accomplishments from the Nittany Lions.

Trevor
Howard

Junior Trevor Howard competed in four individual event
finals, the most of any Big Ten gymnast and earned a spot on the podium on
three occasions.

He seized the lone individual title of the night for Penn
State. With a score of 15.750, Howard defended his Big Ten still rings title
from the year prior.

"It's an awesome feeling," said Howard. "Being home and
winning it, you can't beat it. There are so many great competitors out there
and seeing routines, stick after stick, it definitely put more pressure on me,
but it was still fun to go out there and compete."

Howard tied two other gymnasts for third place on vault with
a score of 15.100. He also recorded 14.675 on floor exercise for fifth place
and placed eighth on parallel bars.

In addition to all of these accomplishments, Howard was
named the Penn State Sportsmanship Award Honoree, an award given to
student-athletes who has distinguished themselves through sportsmanship, noble
citizenship and good academic standing. Furthermore, it was announced that
Howard was selected for the first team All-Big Ten team.

"It's always an honor to make the team like that," said
Howard. "Just being able to represent your school and knowing you're on the
first team is a huge success."

Matthew
Felleman

With a score of 14.950, senior Matthew Felleman ended his
Big Ten career with a second-place finish on high bar.

"It feels great because it's my senior year, my last chance
to make a name for myself and for Penn State and to accomplish what we did
today, it's an honor and I couldn't be happier."

After the championship, it was announced that Felleman would
join his teammate Howard in being an honoree for the first team All-Big Ten
team.

Felleman also earned the Big Ten all-around title Friday
evening with a score of 87.200. It was the third Big Ten all-around title in
Penn State history.

Thad
Lawson

Freshman Thad Lawson was the only other Nittany Lion to
compete in multiple events after qualifying for the floor exercise and vault event
finals.

Even as a rookie, Lawson did a great job in both events. He
placed fourth overall on floor exercise with a score of 15.000 and got ninth
place on the vault after posting 14.775.

Tristan
Duverglas

Senior Tristan Duverglas joined teammate Howard on the still
rings' podium after recording 15.375 to claim fourth place.

"It's an incredible feeling [to be on the podium senior year],"
said Duverglas. "This is something we've been chasing after for the past three
seasons at Penn State and being able to do it my senior year and end it off
with a great note, I really couldn't ask for anything more. It's an amazing
feeling, especially being at home."

Leroy
Clarke, Jr.

With a score of 14.450, redshirt-sophomore Leroy Clarke, Jr.
tied with one other gymnast for fifth place in the high bar final and was able
to join Felleman on the podium.

Craig
Hernandez

Craig Hernandez ended his senior career on the podium
Saturday evening as well by placing fifth on pommel horse (14.750).

Alexis Torres

After having to sub out Friday evening due to an injury,
junior Alexis Torres returned to competition Saturday evening. He placed 10th
at 14.425 on still rings.

Coach
Jepson

"The weekend was just outstanding," said head coach Randy
Jepson. "The guys just competed really, really well...Tonight, we can relax a
little bit and the guys can unwind and rest in the fact that they're the Big
Ten Champions this year, so that's exciting."

At the end of the championships, coach Jepson was named the
Big Ten Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. He previously won
the award in 2003 and 2008 after claiming the Big Ten title in both seasons.

"I've got a great staff and a great group of guys and it's a
tribute to our organization," said coach Jepson. "We're a family. From the
guys, all the way up to the top, and I mean to the very top of Penn State. It's
beyond me and the staff."

Looking
Ahead

In only 11 days, the men's gymnastics team will be competing
in the NCAA Championships in Norman, Okla, with hopes of winning the team's
first national championship title since 2007.

"We still have a lot to improve on," said Howard. "Getting
our hit ratio up, our sticks, that's going to be a huge factor in the NCAA's...and
just trying to pristine all that we do in every event. We know [Oklahoma] is a
good team and we're looking to take them off their podium and their pedestal,
so we're ready."

On Friday night, the Nittany Lions topped the Tigers in straight sets.
However, late Saturday afternoon's match against the Highlanders required five
sets to determine the outcome.

After losing its first six matches of the season, Penn State has learned
how to win.

"A lot of our [positive] turn came in practice," outside hitter Aaron
Russell said. "We just wanted to make a statement that we were going to work
our butts off every single day in practice, and we've been having good
practices. We just have a more competitive nature. We love playing right now,
and we want to keep it rolling. We don't want to lose."

In Friday night's match, Penn State trailed in several statistical
categories, but took advantage of Princeton's 28 service errors to win in
straight sets (25-19, 25-21, 25-23). The Tigers had more kills than the Nittany
Lions (40-32), a better hitting percentage (.427 vs. .356), and more assists
(38-25), yet the Blue and White prevailed.

"This was a game with some very odd rhythm to it with the 28 missed
serves," head coach Mark Pavlik said. "I don't think we particularly blocked
well. I don't think we played defense particularly well. I thought we served
the heck out of the ball. I thought that even though we hit .356...this was a
match where there wasn't a lot of rallies."

"I think the biggest thing with Jalen is just that he's proven to
himself that he can play and play well," redshirt junior Matt Seifert said.
"For [Penrose] being his first couple of starts I think that's really big just
getting out there...He's doing a great job."

The story was written a little differently late Saturday afternoon, as
the Nittany Lions needed five sets (27-29, 25-15, 23-25, 25-16, 15-13) to
outlast conference foe NJIT.

"I thought tonight's match was a great show of resiliency," Pavlik said.
"Coming off of a pretty emotional match and a pretty intense match last night
with Princeton...and then to come here less than 24 hours after you play...from the
latter part of game three on, I thought we played well."

In set one the Blue and White looked to have total control, but NJIT
never gave up, winning the frame in extras, 27-29. Penrose accumulated eight of
his total 21 kills on .700 hitting in the opening game.

"You have to be clean as a unit, making sure that we're making good
first contacts to allow Taylor [Hammond] a good set to get...any of the guys the
ball and just execute," Penrose said.

Penn State took no prisoners in set two, using timely kills from Matt
Callaway, Chris Nugent, Penrose, and Russell, as well as four digs from Connor
Curry to win, 25-15.
Jabarry Goodridge and TJ Jurko each tallied six kills to pace NJIT, as the
Highlanders battled back to win, 23-25.

"They forced us to play a little bit more," Russell said. "They kept a
lot more serves in.... They were scrappy, too. They forced us to play in long
rallies."

With their backs against the wall, the Nittany Lions, thanks to six
kills from Russell, took down the Highlanders in the fourth game, 25-16, to
force a decisive fifth set.

Penn State turned to Russell yet again in the final set. Last week's EIVA
Offensive Player of the Week tallied five kills in the last frame to will his
team to victory. He finished with a match-high 26 kills on a .362 hitting mark.
Setter Taylor Hammond added 59 assists to keep Penn State in system.

Up next for the streaking Nittany Lions is a road trip next Saturday against
EIVA opponent George Mason.

"It's always difficult to play in [George Mason's] gym," Russell said. "They
always play hard. They pack the place. They have a lot of energy and emotion. I
personally like playing there because it's closer to home, and I get to see a
lot of friends and family.... They're definitely looking forward to playing us,
so we have to be prepared and ready."

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Head coach James Franklin updated the media
following Penn State's fifth of 15 spring practices on Saturday inside Holuba
Hall. The Nittany Lions practiced in full pads on Monday, Wednesday and
Saturday this week. Saturday's session included several periods of live
scrimmaging. The team will return to the field on Monday to begin week two of
spring ball. The Blue-White Game presented by AAA will kick at 4 p.m. on April
18.

]]>
Men's Gymnastics Overcomes Adversity to Win Big Ten Championshipstag:www.gopsusports.com,2015:/blog//24.772592015-03-28T16:05:52Z2015-03-28T16:12:16Z By Anita Nham, GoPSUSports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 2015 Big Ten Champions. That's just one name to call the Penn State men's gymnastics team. But these Nittany Lions are more than that - they're warriors....Chelsea Walstromhttp://www.gopsusports.com/

By Anita Nham, GoPSUSports.com Student Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 2015 Big Ten Champions. That's
just one name to call the Penn State men's gymnastics team. But these Nittany
Lions are more than that - they're warriors.

"I was just thrilled with the guys' efforts and being
relentless," said head coach Randy Jepson. "We talked a lot about being in
warrior mode, what that means, and I've seen glimpses of it, but I haven't seen
my team have that for a while and we've struggled in some years where we
haven't stepped up and really knocked it out the park when we needed to be
warriors, but we did it tonight."

Penn State outscored Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota,
Nebraska and Ohio State with a final team score of 436.700 to capture the
conference crown in an electrifying and close fashion after having to overcome
misses, falls and injuries.

The championship came down to the wire in the final
rotation. It was a close matchup between Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Penn
State with Michigan leading the competition. Michigan ended the night with a
score of 434.750, a 72.850 lead over Penn State.

However, the men's gymnastics team didn't let that deficient
affect them as sophomore Christian McSwain, sophomore Dominic DiFulvio,
freshmen Thad Lawson and senior Matthew Felleman all had great routines in
floor exercise. They brought the team within 13.15 points of tying for first
place.

In came junior Trevor Howard, the final performance of the evening
for Penn State. Even though Howard knew that the Big Ten title was on the line,
this didn't bother him.

"[There wasn't a lot of pressure]," said Howard. "I had this
feeling before in the NCAA's when it was here [two years ago] and this was
three times better because I know that I can hit this set. I've had a lot of
injuries that's kind of held me back this year, but in my last pass, I could
see in my peripheral vision, the whole crowd standing up and yelling as loud as
they could, and that just gave me the final drive to push through the last pass
and just put it on my feet, so I didn't really feel any pressure. I knew I was
at home, my family was behind me and my brothers were warriors and I was ready
to deliver for them."

Howard needed to earn a score higher than 13.15 to give Penn
State the Big Ten win and he did just that. He finished the night off with a
score of 15.100, and coach Jepson had no hesitation when placing Howard last in
the lineup.

"[Howard's] freshmen year, he was the NCAA floor champion on
that same floor, in that same spot," said coach Jepson. "If there's any guy you
want going last, it's the NCAA floor exercise champion and he's a warrior. He
just is. When he came out to do the floor set, I knew that he would make it, I
didn't have a doubt...[After the routine, I told Howard] 'I had you last because
I knew you would be a warrior. I'll take a whole team of warriors just like you,"
and it was a great moment."

The Nittany Lions opened with a bye in rotation one, after
being introduced to roaring applause from the 1,060 fans inside Rec Hall.

"It's an honor and privilege to win at home with this crowd,
the best crowd I've ever experienced," said Felleman. "I couldn't be happier to
do it at home."

In addition to the team win, Felleman won the all-around
title with a career-best score of 87.200.

"I'm still shocked right now because I wasn't thinking about
my all-around score at all going through the competition," said Felleman. "I
was 100 percent team right there and that [win] just surprised me."

The men's gymnastics team started the competition on pommel
horse in rotation two where they posted a final score of 69.250. Senior Craig
Hernandez recorded 15.200, the highest score of the evening.

Still rings were next in rotation three. Penn State tallied
a team score of 74.950 and Howard earned a career-high score of 16.100.

Next up was vault on rotation four. Lawson posted a
career-high of 15.050 to push Penn State into fourth place in team standings
with 217.950.

The Nittany Lions headed to parallel bars for rotation five.
Felleman, DiFulvio, and junior Leroy Clarke recorded high scores for the team
and junior Alexis Torres started to compete, but was unable to finish due to
injury.

Freshman Quest Hayden subbed in for Torres and made his Big
Ten Championships debut.

"I was just trying to be super calm," said Hayden. "I knew
that we were going to be down a point for Alexis, for me subbing for him, so
when I went in, I just had to be calm and hit a clean routine."

With a teammate out, the men's gymnastics team knew that they
had to recover. Lawson opened up high bars in rotation six and with his solid
performance, he got the team's and crowd's energy back up. Clarke, Felleman,
Howard and Hayden also competed to give Penn State a team score of 72.350.

Penn State was in fourth place with a score of 361.900, but
the floor exercise helped to win it all.

"I looked down the line at the floor lineup, knew we had a
very good floor lineup and that we could win it," said coach Jepson. "I pulled
them together and said, 'Guys, this is within our reach. We just do our job and
it can be ours,' and they did that."

With the first Big Ten title in seven years, coach Jepson
couldn't be more thrilled for the men's gymnastics team.

"I'm just so happy for them," said coach Jepson. "They pay a
big price, they really do. We ask a lot of our guys and to have them step up and
receive the trophy and get the accolade, today they were the best team. That
was wonderful to see. They really deserved it. There's more to the season, we
got to come back tomorrow and do a good job and then a couple more weeks, we go
to the NCAA's, so it all starts over again, but for tonight, they're the Big
Ten Champions. I'm really happy and proud of them."

]]>
Spring Football: Versatility, Depth Highlight Linebacker Corpstag:www.gopsusports.com,2015:/blog//24.772562015-03-28T13:24:58Z2015-03-29T14:40:33Z UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Replacing a guy like All-American Mike Hull is no small feat, but the future of the linebacker position is in great hands thanks to increased depth and a corps of versatile athletes. With more depth...Tony Mancuso, Athletic Communications

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Replacing a guy like All-American Mike Hull is no
small feat, but the future of the linebacker position is in great hands thanks
to increased depth and a corps of versatile athletes.

With more depth at each position than in recent seasons, Linebacker U hasn't
skipped a beat during the first week of spring ball.

Returning junior starters Brandon Bell and Nyeem Wartman highlight a group
looking to make a big impact on the Nittany Lion defense in 2015.

"We have more depth, and that's the special part about it," Wartman said. "We
have more guys who can get on the field and play."

In addition to Bell and Wartman, graduate senior Ben Kline returns after missing
all of last season with an Achilles injury, and rising sophomore Jason Cabinda
is back and primed for a bigger role than he had in his rookie campaign.
Additionally, juniors Gary Wooten and Von Walker, along with sophomore Troy
Reeder, are among a long list of guys battling for playing time. While each guy
plays to his strengths, the unit is unique in that most of the personnel can
fill a variety of the positions.

"I think with this group, you have a bunch of versatile guys," Wartman said.
"You have Brandon (Bell), who can go out there and play in the field and then
also come in the box and play with us as a 'Will' or 'Mike'. Then you have me,
and I can play 'Will' or 'Mike'. (Ben) Kline can play 'Will' and 'Mike'. Gary
(Wooten) can play 'Will' or 'Mike'. I think year's group is just a lot more
versatile."

Head coach James Franklin often uses the "iron sharpens iron" mantra to talk
about how one side of the ball can play a paramount role in the growth of the
other side of the ball. The same can be true within a unit. With increased
depth at linebacker comes increased competition for playing time.

"It pushes you because you know you have someone behind you," said Wartman.
"Everybody wants to play, so there is going to be someone behind you. But you
can learn from him. When you have quality competition, the first guy is
learning from the second guy, the second guy is learning from the third guy and
the third guy is learning from the first guy, just from watching film and
practicing. You can learn from everyone. All together, the linebacker corps has
more quality from top to bottom since I've been here."

Assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Brent Pry
is a big reason for the unit's seamless transition into spring ball following
the graduation of Hull, who will go down as one of the program's all-time best.
Pry expects a lot out of his players, but the mutual respect between the
student-athletes and position coach creates an environment conducive to both learning
and progress.

"He's the type of guy that when he talks to you, you know he is going to shoot
you straight," said Kline.

"Coach Pry has this type of passion in his voice when we are on the field,"
Wartman said. "He is a serious guy, but at the same time, he is easy going.
He's the type of guy who is going to demand your attention, but he's going to
have fun. Guys aren't feeling pressure to be perfect. Guys know to do their job
on the field. Don't think, just play. He's helped us all out a lot by telling
us to just go out and play."

Pry and the linebackers are always on the same page. Sure it has a lot to do
with the talent in place on the field, but the buy-in from players stems from
Pry's ability to teach the unit and put the players in the best position to be
successful within the framework of defensive coordinator Bob Shoop's scheme.

Another factor in the unit's ability to hit the ground running this spring is
the return of Kline, who is a respected voice in the locker room and an
undisputed leader of the unit.

"Ben brings a positive attitude and plays the way a Penn State player should
play," Wartman said. "Even when he and I were fighting for the same spot and he
got hurt, he still stood there on the sideline and cheered me on. And that had
to be one of the hardest things to do. Then I remember when my playing time
went down and he went in, I cheered him on. I just think he brings the
team-first mentality. That's what this game is all about, team-first guys like
Ben Kline."

It's been a long road for Kline to get back onto the field following a pair of
injuries during the last two seasons, but he's excited to return and ready to
go to work.

"It just feels good to get back out there with everybody, running around and
playing some ball. It's been a lot of fun," Kline said.

Like Wartman, Kline is excited about the unit the Nittany Lions will put on the
field at linebacker in the fall.

"We have a lot of guys who just work really hard," Kline said. "We have good
depth, and everyone wants to work hard. We are young and athletic. The way
Coach Pry has been coaching everyone up is awesome."

Granted there is a long way to go until the season commences on Sept. 5 at
Temple, but Wartman said he feels like everyone on the roster is more
comfortable within the framework of the daily routine, and it has carried over
into productive meetings and practices this spring.

"It's another year. We all feel strong, faster and have more confidence,"
Wartman said. "As a defense, we have high standards for ourselves. Guys know
that last year was good, but we want this year to be even better."

]]>
Nittany Lions Look Back on First Winning Seasontag:www.gopsusports.com,2015:/blog//24.772432015-03-27T17:22:03Z2015-03-27T17:29:06Z By Julie Bacanskas, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With the 2014-15 Penn State men's hockey season now in the books, the team has a number of accomplishments it can be proud of. In a year the...Tony Mancuso, Athletic CommunicationsBy Julie Bacanskas, GoPSUsports.com
Student Staff WriterUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With the 2014-15 Penn State men's hockey season
now in the books, the team has a number of accomplishments it can be proud of.
In a year the team thought may be free of program firsts, the Nittany Lions
certainly had their fair share of new, historical experiences.

The team secured its first winning season, its first national ranking, its
first season sweep over a team. The Blue and White downed all of its conference
opponents at least once this year, defeated a top-five team and even had two
Hobey Baker Award Nominees in Taylor Holstrom and Casey Bailey.

With such monumental achievements throughout the season, it is clear that the
future of Penn State hockey is extremely bright. This program will only
continue to grow.

"I like the direction we're going," head coach Guy Gadowsky said. "I think we
improved a whole lot last year. I think we improved this year, and I'm
optimistic it will continue."

With only eight total wins and three conference victories in 2013-14, the
Nittany Lions entered this season expected to finish last in the Big Ten.
However, they were ready to prove everyone wrong.

They ended this season 18-15-4, which is more than double the win total Penn
State had last year. Furthermore, the team went 10-9-1 in the conference,
finishing out the regular season in fourth place and staying in contention for
the regular season title until its final weekend series.

Maybe the most talked about aspect of this year's squad was its ability to
shoot the puck. The team averaged 39.2 shots per game; however, there were
numerous games when it racked up over 50 attempts.

While shooting may have become a major part of Penn State's identity, the
Nittany Lions are still in the process of building the program.

"You're never quite done," said Gadowsky. "When will we have the identity that
they know what we're all about? I think we're getting there. I don't think
we're there yet, but we're getting there."

Unlike last season, Penn State will not return almost its entire roster. Seven
seniors, including captain Patrick Koudys, assistant captain Nate Jensen, Jacob
Friedman, Max Gardiner, PJ Musico and Peter Sweetland, will all graduate. Additionally,
the team will lose its leading scorer in Bailey, who decided to move on to the
next stage in his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

These leaders will not be easy for the Nittany Lions to replace, but Penn State
still has a number of players key to its identity. People such as David Goodwin
and Eric Scheid will be heavily relied upon up front, as will the emerging
Scott Conway, while defensemen Luke Juha and Connor Varley will need to secure
the blueline.

Even with eight players leaving, the Nittany Lions will still find success come
October 2015.

"This is our third year," said Gadowsky. "Everybody that signed up to come on
knows that they're going to be relied upon. That's maybe part of the
attractiveness to come in. So, if they're going to take full advantage of the
opportunity that's been given to them, they know that they're going to have to
come in in very good shape because they are going to get the opportunity to
contribute at a very high level right off the hop."

This season was certainly a major stepping-stone for a young, emerging program.
Success is in the cards for Penn State hockey.

"Hopefully what's next is that we'll continue to cultivate and elevate our culture
in terms of work ethic and commitment, what we control," Gadowsky said. "We're
not necessarily put our minds set to one specific thing. We have a lot of ideas
in our head, fantasies in our head with what is going to happen with this
program, and we look forward to all of them. But, we're not picking what's
going to happen next. We're just going to continue to build our culture and
continue to add on to our foundation, and good things are going to happen."
]]>
Baseball Ready for First True Weekend Home Seriestag:www.gopsusports.com,2015:/blog//24.772392015-03-27T15:40:40Z2015-03-27T15:51:49ZTony Mancuso, Athletic Communications

By Mike Esse,GoPSUsports.com Student Staff
Writer

After a
dramatic 5-2 win over Villanova Wednesday, Penn State continues its 10-game
home stand Friday night with a three-game set against Central Connecticut
State.

This will
be the first true three-game home series of the season after last weekend's Big
Ten clash with Indiana was shortened to a Sunday double header due to weather.
Penn State head coach Rob Cooper and his squad are looking forward to
(hopefully) having a full weekend series at home.

"I love
playing at home and I love playing at Medlar Field and just want to get after
it Friday," Cooper said.

Penn State,
winners of four of its last five, has begun to string together wins since
returning from road trips down south in the late winter and early spring.

It's been late game comebacks in the past few wins for Penn State, something
that Cooper is proud of his team for.

"Being able
to not think it's the end of the world when another team gets ahead and know
that you have the ability to come back and bring the next guy up.," he said.
"It's something as a program you have to learn how to do if you want to be
really good."

Another big
reason why wins have started to turn in favor of Penn State, is the Nittany
Lion bullpen, which had another big night on Wednesday. Led by junior Jack
Anderson, the bullpen has turned in 28 2/3 innings with an ERA of 1.26 and
collecting 27 strikeouts to 16 hits in their last five games.

Especially
as the weather still doesn't favor pitcher's ability to have longer outings,
having multiple reliable relievers has been a luxury for the Nittany Lions. Freshman
Sal Biasi has hit the ground running in his first season at Penn State. Biasi
has posted a 2.35 ERA in 15 1/3 innings with 16 strikeouts.

Biasi is a
perfect example of what Cooper wants from freshman when they first enter the
program.

"We tell
guys when we recruit them, 'I don't want you guys waiting around until you're a
sophomore or just try to make the travel roster, I want you to come in and be
the guy,'" Cooper said. "A guy like Sal, Marco, Lehman and those guy shave
tried to come in and make an impact. It allows us to say 'yeah this is who we
need to use here.' (Biasi) has earned that right."

Looking
ahead to Central Connecticut this weekend, Cooper said upon looking at CCSU the
Nittany Lions have a tough task ahead against a strong program out of the Northeastern
Conference.

"They're a
very well coached team," Cooper said. "Coach (Charlie) Hickey does an
unbelievable job. They're usually a team that fights for a conference
championship and has played in a regional before. It will be a heck of a test."

The series
begins Friday at 5:30, with Saturday's game at 1:00 and Sunday's slated for
noon.

]]>
Lions Take on Rutgers in First B1G Gametag:www.gopsusports.com,2015:/blog//24.772382015-03-27T15:13:25Z2015-03-27T15:21:53ZBy Julie Bacanskas, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff WriterUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With the first ten games played, the Penn State women's lacrosse team will enter the next portion of its season this weekend. For the first time, the Nittany Lions will...Tony Mancuso, Athletic Communications

By Julie Bacanskas, GoPSUsports.com
Student Staff Writer

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With the first ten games played, the Penn State
women's lacrosse team will enter the next portion of its season this weekend.
For the first time, the Nittany Lions will take on an opponent in its new
conference. This is Big Ten.

As the No. 15 Blue and White (7-3) travel to Rutgers (1-9) this weekend, they
will look to build off Tuesday's comeback win over No. 9 Stanford. Right now,
the team has momentum on its side. It wants this success to continue.

"It's exciting, a Big Ten Network game," head coach Missy Doherty said. "I
think we want to just keep getting better. We have to hold teams to less than
15 goals. It's still great that we outscored them [Stanford], but we need to do
our best job of limiting players. We'll look to do that against Rutgers."

While the team's defense may be the area Doherty is looking to improve upon,
the Nittany Lion offense has certainly been doing its part.

Penn State is averaging 14.2 goals and 31.2 shots per game. Leading the way in
shots is senior midfielder Tatum Coffey. She has attempted 41 through the opening
ten matches and has 21 points on the season.

Coffey is tied with sophomore Steph Lazo for second in scoring, and both sit
behind Maggie McCormick. McCormick has dished out 23 assists this season alone
and scored 15 goals of her own.

To emerge victorious on Saturday, the team will need its top scorers to
continue their hot streak. These leaders need to stay consistent and produce.

"Rutgers is always, even in any sport, they're always scrappy," Coffey said.
"They're always an athletic team. So, we're just going to bring this energy
that we had over to that game and throughout the Big Ten season. We're going to
win a Big Ten Championship."

Rutgers enters this weekend's matchup on a nine-game losing streak, and while
the Scarlet Knights may seem like an easy opponent to down, it is clear that
they will be hungry for a taste of success.

Nevertheless, the fact that Rutgers is scoring only 8.6 goals each game could
work in favor of the Lions' defense. This first Big Ten opponent is certainly a
team Penn State can hold off. It will just have to make sure it is putting
forth a strong effort throughout the entirety of the 60 minutes played.

This opening conference games marks the beginning of what will be an exciting
season of Big Ten lacrosse. The Nittany Lions have the chance to go up against
some of the top teams in women's college lacrosse, including the consistently
successful No. 1 Maryland, No. 4 Northwestern and No. 18 Ohio State.

While the Lions have been tested early in the season, the best lacrosse is yet
to come. They will have to make adjustments and tighten up in some areas, but
success is imminent for this group of Nittany Lions.

The team is anticipating some big victories and many upsets. As Coffey
mentioned, this group wants to win a Big Ten Championship. Penn State is ready
to give its heart and soul in this conference stretch.

But, the Blue and White will have to take these matches one game at a time,
starting with Rutgers.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, the Nittany Lions and Scarlet Nights will go head to head.
Big Ten women's lacrosse is about to begin.]]>
Nittany Lions Look to Be More Balanced in 2015-'16tag:www.gopsusports.com,2015:/blog//24.772372015-03-27T14:15:11Z2015-03-27T14:18:32Z By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK. Pa. - It was a short offseason for the Penn State men's basketball team. Following a run to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, head coach Patrick Chambers gave his players...Tony Mancuso, Athletic CommunicationsBy Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff WriterUNIVERSITY
PARK. Pa. - It was a short offseason for the Penn State men's basketball team.

Following
a run to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, head coach Patrick Chambers gave
his players a week off to clear their heads and reflect on the season. Starting
this week, however, the Lions wanted to get back into the gym.

"We're
excited and we've already started," Chambers said. "We already started our
spring workouts and our guys wanted to get back in the gym. That's exciting,
especially for me. We're going to start lifting [Monday] and I think they're in
a good place heading into the offseason."

While
Penn State went through plenty of ups and downs this season, three straight
wins in March, including two in the conference tournament, offer plenty to
build on for the future. With six players who averaged double-digit minutes
returning next season, the Lions will have plenty of experience entering their
next campaign.

At
the same time, there will clearly be big shoes to fill with leading scorer D.J.
Newbill graduating. Not only was Newbill the unquestioned leader of the Lions,
he scored nearly 31 percent of the teams points (20.7 per-game) in 2014-'15.

As
much as the team relied on Newbill the past three seasons, Coach Chambers
doesn't want a single player scoring the majority of the team's points next
season. In the Big Ten Tournament, the Lions got double-digit scoring efforts
from senior forward Ross Travis, sophomore guard Geno Thorpe and freshman guard
Shep Garner, a trend Chambers hopes continues in the future.

"We
were close to averaging four guys the last six games in double-digits,"
Chambers said. "I'd like to see us play like that. I'd like to see really good
production. Now do I want to see the disparity between the leading scorer and
the second leading scorer? No, I don't. If we can get it to [five different
players averaging] 14, 12, 11, 10, 10, that's going to make us a very difficult
team to guard."

Even
without one dominant scorer, it is likely that Penn State will continue to get
a bulk of its offense from its backcourt. Garner and Thorpe, two players that
showed exceptional growth this season, will be counted on even more.

A
true freshman, Garner started every game at point guard and scored in double
figures 15 times, while Thorpe showed such offensive improvement that Chambers
inserted the team's sixth man and defensive ace into the starting lineup even
though that meant shifting Newbill from shooting guard to small forward.

Still,
that doesn't mean that both players don't have room for improvement. Garner,
who averaged 9.1 points-per-game, will have even more ball handling
responsibility and will need to be more consistent. Thorpe, who improved his
scoring average from 3.2 to 8.8 from his freshman to sophomore campaign, will
need to continue to adjust to being relied upon on offense, as well as defense.

"We're
going to count on them a lot, for different things," Chambers said. "Off the
court first, leadership. And they have a lot to get better at and they know
that. We're just scratching the surface with both of them.

"Geno
really shot the ball well at the end of the season, he was close to 40 percent
from three the last six or seven games. Shep gave us that roller coaster ride
but a maybe a little more consistent towards the end. I think his assist to
turnover ratio was outstanding the last six games."

Although
Penn State has had a host of high-scoring guards in recent years, it will be
paramount for the Nittany Lions frontcourt to help them carry the load next
season. In Jordan Dickerson, Donovon Jack and Brandon Taylor, the Lions have
three rising seniors that Chambers believes are capable of doing it.

Out
of the three, Taylor is the most accomplished scorer, having finished second on
the team in scoring this year with 9.3 points. His ability to score in the
paint and from the outside is shared by the 6-foot-9 Jack, while the 7-foot
Dickerson will look to further develop his postgame this summer.

"I
think Jordan is coming, he shot 60 percent from the floor the last six games,"
Chambers said. "This offseason is going to be critical for him. We need to put
the ball inside, because it's going to put you on the free throw line, but
they've got to make their free throws too."

Overall,
there will certainly be some transitioning to do as the Lions get used to life
without Newbill. With a top recruiting class featuring two ESPN top 100
recruits in Josh Reaves and Mike Watkins and Lithuanian star Deividas Zemgulis,
as well as rising sophomores like Julian Moore and Payton Banks, Penn State has
more than it's share of young talent.

The
goal however, is still to win. Players come and go every year in college
basketball, and Chambers is excited to coach the group that he has now.

"I
think [the Big Ten Tournament] taught our program and our younger guys that we
can compete and we are good enough," Chambers said. "After that game (season
ending loss to Purdue), I didn't see a dry eye and I knew we were closer than
we've been. We're gonna be young but we're coming." ]]>